As athletic budgets decrease across Michigan, community support and strong athletic booster programs are becoming a key part of avoiding staff and activity cuts. Growing that support by marketing your athletic program is now a necessity.
The goal should be to create a sustainable funding source that supplements state funding over the long haul. Boosters programs and community-driven, sustainable fundraisers are ideal for this, but to maximize their impact one must engage parents from every sport, instead of just a few. To gain your community’s support, you must show them how much school athletics means to their child’s life, no matter what sport they play.
Think about it: More parents are engaged in a school’s football program than any other sport, because they are exposed to it frequently. They understand the value of the football program because they see the amount of attention it brings every Friday night. And they support the program accordingly.
Thing is, swimming is every bit as valuable to a swimmer as football is to a football player. And swimming can bring money in to your department as well – it just takes a little marketing.
Most sports don’t have football’s natural community built in. But as athletic budgets continue to decrease, it is more important than ever to use the tools we have (Facebook, Twitter, newsletters, blogs, etc.) to demonstrate the value of athletics to parents from every sport.
Gaining that support may make the difference between cutting athletics staff and activities, and not.
